Go right-wing and collapse in 15 years, Khairy warns Umno

Khairy said he still believed that Umno was a 'tent' for the Malays, with its original DNA of moderation, centrism, and celebrating diversity. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Khairy Jamaluddin warned Umno today that it risked folding up in 10 to 15 years if it went further right and used racist tactics.

The former Umno Youth chief expressed disappointment with his party’s newly elected leaders for attacking the appointments of non-Muslims as Chief Justice and Attorney General, saying that these were small issues compared to the economy and other social problems.

“After the Umno election, what does my party do? Play up racial sentiments, collect donations for the former president, rinse and repeat,” Khairy tweeted.

“It’s not wrong for us to be in solidarity with DSN, but ‘New Umno’ surely can’t be just about that. We already got a death blow in GE14, and yet we’re still deaf to the people,” added the Rembau MP, referring to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He said he still believed that Umno was a “tent” for the Malays, with its original DNA of moderation, centrism, and celebrating diversity.

“That’s why I’m still with Umno. But I disagree with the increasing racist manifestations after the Umno election,” said Khairy, who lost the race for Umno presidency to Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“The centrist way is not easy. The grassroots may find it difficult to understand. But that’s the way to survive.”

The former Cabinet minister said he was trying to fix his “house” so that it would not remain an extreme and racist right-wing party.

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one,” said Khairy, quoting John Lennon’s Imagine.

Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Noor Adam claimed today that the DAP was controlling Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in its attempt to allegedly turn Christianity into the “official religion” of Malaysia.